208

Substitute
Posted on November 27, 2016 by David M Willis
doabook5frontcoveredited666Dumbing of Age Book 5 is now available in the online store!  I GUESS holiday shopping season has officially started as of today, so have at it!  You can buy it normal and plain, or upgrade to a signed/sketched version. magnetset1Also new to the store is a set of 8 character magnets left over from the Book 4 Kickstarter.  It's missing the ninth magnet, Joyce, because I'm kinda out of her Book 4 magnet, but for now there are eight magnets left you can get as a set. poster-tothosewhogroundme400Also also new in the store is the "To Those Who Ground Me" 11"x17" poster!  It's new to the store because I forgot to put it in the store last spring when it was actually new.  But it's pretty!

208 thoughts on “Substitute”

  1. Ana Chronistic

    tbh this is why I started wearing glasses

    well, besides that whole “can’t see without ’em” part

    tho it’s prolly not as fun having a partner “replace” them like here

    1. Kernanator

      You mean that’s not what the “cover your eyes and ask ‘Guess who?'” thing is about?

    2. Dorje Sylas

      You could try having the SO curl their forefinger inside their thumb and place the resulting holes over your eyes. This should create a pinhole lens effect that can kind of do a bit of vision correction. Of course the fun isn’t in how much vision you get back, but the attempt.

    3. The Other Mike

      This isn’t exactly the reason I wear glasses as opposed to contacts or getting correction surgery, but it’s similar. I’ve been wearing glasses for more than two decades now, and I’ve just gotten used to the weight of them on may face now. (That, and they give me something to fiddle with. I am always adjusting my glasses.)

    4. tirachokko

      bro I feel you, it’s weird not having glasses to push up when I am flustered, they’re like my safety blanket that I use to cover my face when I’m embarrassed because it’s there’s anything constant about me, it’s my lack of nose and the resulting glasses slippage. Recently looked into getting frames without a prescription just so I can feel ok

  2. AnvilPro

    And for one moment, everything was right in the world.

    1. Mr. Mendo

      It doesn’t get much better than this! ^_^

      1. Pablo360

        Which, unfortunately, means it’s about to get a whole lot worse.

  3. DarkoNeko

    Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

    1. Doctor_Who

      The cuteness! It’s of the scale! It’s in the MegaChiyoChans!

      1. The Other Mike

        So is a MegaChiyoChan measured off Chiyo’s base cuteness, or her cuteness while wearing the penguin suit?

  4. Wheelpath

    That last panel, Willis, I would like a million posters of it. Udywjwigdvdidjdvsjydvsndkuvendkvbdjdv

    1. Ntrovert

      A set of wallpapers for computer and phone, with “Rawr” ringtone for Dina and a “HEY EVERYONE…” Ringtone for Becky would also be quite acceptible.

  5. Opus the Poet

    D’aaaawwww!

  6. shadowcell

    Becky used Head Scritches!

    it’s super effective!

    1. Disloyal Subject

      …darn it, now I want head scritches.

  7. Disloyal Subject

    I don’t think words can capture the degree of SMILE going on here.

    1. DarkoNeko

      Don’t worry, your avatar does.

      1. Disloyal Subject

        Brody is a jovial fellow.

    2. Knuf Wons

      Thankfully, it’s a different degree of smile from when Dina tried comforting Sarah!

    3. Deanatay

      You’re right, words cannot describe.

      Clearly, this calls for emojis.

      8-DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

      1. Reltzik

        …. so wait, this scene’s so sweet that it’ll fatten me up until I have 32 chins?

  8. Fart Captor

    ^_^

    1. butts

      ^________________________^

      1. Baf

        @u@

        1. butts

          0u0

          wait

          No, that looks stupid.

        2. jy3

          Just so that I can beat the rush in ten or twenty strips:
          Damn. You. Willis.

        3. jy3

          Whoops, that should have gone at the bottom.

  9. Hopeful Sarcastic

    Toe Dad escapes from prison and brings a mini-gun, for no one character of the damned Willis shall be happy

    1. Fart Captor

      Shortly after setting foot on campus, he gets laid out again by Joyce, this time carrying Sarah’s bat. “My Becky will be,” she snarls, reeling back for another swing.

      When Ross comes to, he’s handcuffed in the back of a police cruiser, looking at an extra 10 years on his sentence for escaping.

      1. butts

        And if that doesn’t work, she’ll just have to go after Willis himself…

        1. Fart Captor

          She’d do it, too. Heck, if God Himself tried any of that Job stuff with Becky He’d be lookin’ down the business end of a stern talking-to at the very least.

          Between her badass girlfriend and her badass best friend, there’s nothing that can be thrown at Becky that could bring her down for long

  10. Lipke the Articulate

    Willis is attempting to commit CUTENESS OVERLOAD GENOCIDE
    DAMN YOU WILLLLLIIIIIIIIIS

    1. Geneseepaws

      Isn’t there an international law, a GenevaCon or meetup, about abuse of cuteness being used against large populations of fans?

  11. otusasio451

    …Well, shit, that’s adorable.

  12. Rukduk

    Squeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!

  13. Kernanator

    Stop that, stop that! This is getting far too adorable!

    1. inqntrol

      The cuteness level is off the charts, if it keeps on like that who knows what it might happen.

  14. BBCC

    That alt text hit like a gut punch.

    1. Lipke the Articulate

      Yeah seriously. Glad I got all my squees out before I read it, because that killed them and killed them hard.

      1. butting

        the KABOOM was our tiny twisted bitter little hearts growing SEVENTEEN BILLION sizes bigger in an instant

      2. Cholma

        Really? It made me laugh. Nothing lights up a room like Marvin the Martian failing at blowing things up again!

        1. BBCC

          I can laugh AND have a gut punch. 😛

        2. Deanatay

          Oh, delays, delays!

    2. butts

      it was the worst Willis could do

      1. Adept Arcanist

        Nah, it was referencing the worst he could do. This really is the best he can do – not even Joyce being vibrated to oblivion by “hair curlers” can top a happy Dina! 😛

    3. Shiro

      Idgi, the only result I’m getting for the phrase is this comic, or if I let google autocorrect it to “earth-shattering,” Marvin the Martain?

      1. DinaWho

        I also do not get it, but I am assuming it references certain events of IW!.

      2. butts

        It’s a reference to It’s Walky!

        1. Cholma

          It’s a reference to both Marvin the Martian and the last time Dina took off her hat (in IW!)

        2. butts

          I mean, yes, but the Marvin the Martian reference isn’t especially obscure.

        3. Eyebrow

          I am old enough to remember Marvin the Martian. Some of the readers here aren’t.

          This is just to tell them that he’s worth a bit of Youtube searching.

        4. thejeff

          How can you not be old enough to remember Marvin the Martian? Have they really stopped showing old Looney Tunes?
          I mean, I’m certainly not old enough for when those first ran, though my parents probably were, but they were definitely still part of my childhood. They’re pretty timeless.

          And that’s not counting more recent uses of the character.

    4. Athedia

      To soon Willis… to soon. *sobs*

      1. Athedia

        And yes, I STILL haven’t gotten over that panel.

    5. All-Purpose Guru

      Jeez, thanks a lot, I had completely forgotten what happened the last time Dina took her hat off.

      She is frikkin’ adorable without it, though. Always had a soft spot for Dina.

      And Sal, but I can’t get past her smoking in DoA.

  15. Foxhack

    And thus, Becky learned what the word “fetish” means.

    (I’m sorry.)

    1. butts

      this was the best i could do

  16. Hannah

    That’s it. This is the comic that reached peak cuteness levels. It is beyond squee. Squee++, if you will.

    Thank you.

    1. SgtWadeyWilson

      Panel of Squee +3: Legendary Item, binds on equip.

    2. Pablo360

      While true {
      squee++;
      }

      1. Noiob

        noooo you gotta bounds-check

        1. thejeff

          Nah, it’s an infinite loop anyway.

          If squee’s an int, it just happily wraps.
          Oddly, if squee’s a float it eventually stops growing.

  17. Tacos

    You’re killing me with the adorableness D:

  18. Stephen R. Bierce

    *plays “Rock Me Gently” on the hacked Muzak*

    1. jimmy joey

      hey what about substitute by clout? it also fits with the whole joyce thing

  19. Pigeon Pollyx

    Alrighty Willis. You may have lost me back there, butcha damn sure pulled through in the end.

  20. Cass

    Although her position would be more comfortable if she moved in closer, Dina is trying to keep her butt out of the wet pool currently spreading across the booth.

  21. Vivid

    me with my watch. just don’t feel right without it

    (also for Dina it might be a stim related thing? just my onion)

    1. Michael Steamweed

      Dina seems to me to be top-high-functioning autistic (what used to be called “Aspie” or “Aspergers”). And such folk need to love and be loved, too! (I hereby go into full-on “squeeeee” mode.) 🙂

      1. Vivid

        I reeeally don’t like functioning labels (they reflect and reinforce extremely simplistic ideas that people have about autistic people, ideas that make our lives harder) but yeah

        1. deathjavu

          The labels aren’t supposed to be societal pigeonholes, they’re supposed to be generalized diagnostic symptom clusters for professionals to apply previously effective treatments.

          Not saying it works that way, but that’s what they’re for

        2. Vivid

          thing is, “high functioning” and “low functioning” aren’t that useful for treatment, either. Asperger’s, you can make a case for.
          but “high functioning” doesn’t tell you anything about me except that I have enough good days and can pass as allistic more often than not.

          it doesn’t tell you that I’m overwhelmed by noise and highly sensitive to texture and that I can’t eat a broad range of foods because of how I process things.

          it doesn’t tell you that I’m brilliant with language and especially humour, but have lackluster nonverbal skills and an ongoing problem with motor skills, or that I also have a mild speech impediment that makes talking for long periods of time (or when I’m emotional about the subject) difficult and unpleasant.

          it doesn’t tell you what my needs are, as an individual, because “high functioning” is often incredibly arbritary or based off only one or two things, can be applied to an individual on one day and then not on the next, and also even if we were to assume that it didn’t fluctuate day to day, “high functioning” autistic people are an incredibly diverse group.

  22. Keulan

    This is so sweet, you’re gonna give us all diabetes.

    1. Bicycle Bill

      Or worsen the condition for those of us who already have been diagnosed.

  23. Jennell Jaquays

    D’awwwwwwwwwwww. <3 <3 <3

  24. Sporky

    My crops are flourishing and etc

  25. butts

    😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀

    (_|_)(_|_)

    1. butts

      also you promised us lady-syrup flood becky, what the hell

      1. Schpoonman

        She didn’t eat the hat. That was a very important part of her process.

        1. butts

          Joyce. Eyes are up here, Joyce.

        2. Emperor Norton II

          That is demonstrably not true, butts.

      2. Cerberus

        It’s because she thought it would be erotic, but it wasn’t. It was a deeply intimate act and that gave her a romantic not erotic rush.

        1. Cerberus

          Downside is that those with a scalp fetish lost representation.

  26. Ryan

    Man, this is so nice and adorable…something really, REALLY bad is going to happen to somebody somewhere soon.

    1. imnotash

      damn

      1. Solenoid

        Note: The preview panel from quite a while back of Sydney Yus grinning mightily through a door is for tomorrow’s strip. Not sure if relevant, maybe she thinks this is as cute as the rest of us know it is. This might not feed into her plans for world domination.

        We won’t know until it’s too late.

        1. Adept Arcanist

          Her plans for world domination have turned on a dime; now she’s gonna conquer Earth using the cuteness meltdown from these two.

  27. Tomas

    And then Dina takes to saying, “I want to wear you like a hat.”

    1. Lokitsu

      That’s disturbingly close to “I want to make a skin suit out of you.”

      1. Chief_of_Staves

        https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7C3uRqjA8UE
        Your earworm for the evening.

        1. Cerberus

          NSFW Song by Julie Goldman that seems oddly appropriate:
          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BB5FrsZEjGk

    2. trlkly

      Yay! Shoulder rides for everyone!

  28. Tomas

    Look at the first panel. The hat is dying! It was alive all this time!

    1. EvilMidnightLurker

      And in the last panel it’s angrier than usual, for it knows it has been usurped.

  29. Shiro

    My favorite people are the ones who react like that to head, shoulder, and/or back scritches ♥

  30. Chief_of_Staves

    There is no acceptable substitute for sweetness. Beware the strange aftertastes! Carry on with your sugar. That is all.

  31. Kyle

    im crying im so happy???? growing up queer abd autistic in a predominantly fundie community was terrifying and for the longest time i was terrified of going to hell and to see dina and beckys relationship is. i dont have words to describe how wonderful it feels to see people like me happy together. thank you willis

    1. Michael Steamweed

      ^^^ This. 🙂

    2. butts

      Ah, yes, the rare and elusive “Thank you, Willis.” Much more difficult to find in the wild than its more vulgar cousin.

      1. Solenoid

        And much more worth it.

    3. Hrovitnir

      Aw. If the comic didn’t make me feel happy-teary (and it did a little), this comment did!

    4. Cerberus

      *hugs* I’m really happy for you.

  32. Nick Piers

    That ear-piercing sound you hear right now is my high-pitched squeeing in delight.

  33. Jason L

    Well this is about the most adorable thing I have seen this LIFETIME.

  34. The Aussie Bloke

    I know the feeling, Dina. I never step out of my house without my hat on. Not even to go to the mailbox.

    Unfortunately, human contact is not an acceptable substitute for me, since touching my head is one of the things that tends to set off my anxiety (unless I’m getting a haircut. I can mostly tolerate it then)

  35. Osopescado

    I’ve been having a really hard and shitty day today for a lot of reasons, and seeing this display of Dina/Becky snugs made me feel so much better. I know that people give you a lot of flack for things, but I want you to know that I really appreciate your work and the positive impact it has had on my life. So today I feel the need to break the usual disparaging tradition: thank you Willis.

    1. butts

      Oho, two in one day! At this rate, we might be able to save the species!

  36. Synnerman

    *GASP* *Pearlclutch*

    P.S.L.!!!!

  37. BBCC

    Since we’re species saving: Thank you, Willis.

    1. butts

      WWF, eat your heart out.

  38. a snow ʍousɐ

    OH GOD SHE’S EXPOSING HERSELF
    WILLIS YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO SAVE THE PORN FOR SLIPSHINE

    1. Deanatay

      LASCIVIOUS

      RIBALD

      LEWD

  39. Dean

    As long as Becky doesn’t put the hat on, cos that’d be weird.

  40. Scar Man!!!

    How is this comic literally me once again? I also feel naked without a hat and love having people snuggle up to or massage my scalp

  41. altalemur

    d’aaaawwww. adorable lesbian cuddles.

  42. gruaud

    My nipples explode with delight.

    1. butts

      Please fondle my bum.

    2. trlkly

      Ah. That’s where lady syrup comes from. I was wondering.

      (I hear it is really sweet, packed with a lot of sugar for the baby.)

  43. EvilMidnightLurker

    I wonder if this is related to my inability to sleep well without an eye mask, no matter how dark the room is?

  44. miados

    ah the had was a sort of shield that she could wear that at the same time was a more socially acceptable way to show love to dinosaurs than many wardrobe choices. makes sense.

  45. Some Random Name

    Cuteness… Too Much… Straining… to type!

  46. Zatar

    CUTIES.

    1. Zatar

      The Gravatar makes it a little weird doesn’t it?

  47. Wyze

    There just aren’t enough Ws in the universe for how much “AWWWWW!” this inspires.

    1. Knuf Wons

      Why is there no like system for these comments?

  48. Anaxim

    My wristwatch is practically bonded to my wrist. At one time, when walking around downtown with my girlfriend, the strap snapped. To help me manage the feeling of something missing, she circled my wrist with her fingers until we found someone to replace the strap.
    I so get how Dina’s feeling, both about how she feels with the hat off and how the substitute is acceptable.

    1. Deanatay

      On those few occasions that you remove it, there’s a distinct ‘squik’ sound as you peel it from your wrist. Yes, I know this sensation.

  49. Raijin

    D’awwwww, all the cuteness! Best birthday comic from Willis to wake up too 😀

    1. Koms

      Happy birthday

    2. Bagge

      Awwww, it even beats me and I got a Dorothy comic.

      Happy Birthday!

    3. Bicycle Bill

      All it does is remind me, even more forcefully, that I am once again alone on my birthday.  In fact, if I didn’t have to go to work later today, I probably wouldn’t even get out of bed.

  50. Bagge

    Smooth, Becky.

    I don’t think Dina mind being seduced, I don’t think she minds that at all, as long as she knows what’s going on.

  51. Nat

    PREMARITAL HANKEY PANKEY!!!

    1. Emperor Norton II

      Is a great thing!

  52. Adam Black

    Bahm, Bahhm , Baaaaahhm!…..

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWF1glZWQa8

    Leaving for Willis, before someone beats me to it

  53. Kay

    Oh nooooooooooo the cutes

  54. doubleW

    So if the hat stays off for long enough, would Dina’s bare head cease to excite Becky?

  55. NinjaNick

    Too kawaii!

  56. Ivy

    Aww BECKY IS A HAT

  57. acher4

    One of the Cutest thing ever!

  58. Emperor Norton II

    Soooo…. between Becky and Dina, and Suntani and Austen (from Always Human), my DOOOOOFUS levels are now dangerously high…

    1. Bagge

      IT OFF THE CHART!!!!

    2. Gamaran Sepudomyn

      See, I’m getting a major contrast between sads at Austen’s shitty therapist and the sheer adorableness of Dina and Becky.

      1. Emperor Norton

        True, but the overall relationship of Austen and Sunati is just DOOOOOOOOOOOOFUS! Let’s focus on that instead of the moments of sad things happening, shall we?

  59. Koms

    And just when I thought Beckina couldn’t get any cuter…

  60. Deviant

    Running to class and such things are going to be a challenge with such a hat substitute. Hatstitute?

    Very cute though, I’m glad these two are doing well 🙂

    1. John

      They’ve already discovered the hazards of trying to cuddle and walk at the same time.

  61. Brian K. Pittman

    My heart is now a warm puddle. Thank you, Willis.

  62. Sophran

    This is the cutest thing I’ve seen all week, and I saw Moana tonight and teared up approximately twelve times during that.

  63. Bagge

    It is adorable how, yes Dina’s hat IS of special importance for her. It’s not just a quirk, it’s a part of her comfort zone. For her to take off the hat for Becky IS an intimate act, now when Becky finally asks for it.

    Oh God, Becky in the first and second panel can hardly believe her luck. “You…. you took it of for me? *play it cool Becky, ignore the ladybits screaming. Just savor the moment*

    And Dina in the second panel is still insecure. Yes Dina, Becky likes what she sees. She likes it very much.

    Doooooooooooooooooooooooofuses 🙂

  64. Zellgato

    Such a cute couple.
    and dina looks great hatless too..

    i hope history of “hatless times make danger times” doesn’t apply

    1. imnotash

      she’s going to explode in the next strip

      1. Adept Arcanist

        Explode with joy!

  65. 6Qubed

    aww, it got cute c:

  66. AGV

    DIABEETUS

  67. JepMZ

    Am I weird that I can’t ignore the fact that she cuts her hair really short on the top? I understand the concept of bangs but why go out of the way to cut short the top part?

    1. Bicycle Bill

      Fits better underneath the hat.

    2. imnotash

      you know how she had a crush on walky in the walkyverse and how walky had that haircut originally?

      I don’t know where I’m going with this now someone say something smart about it

  68. AlexDenton

    Willis is trying to kill us with cuteness. It’s working XD

    1. Deanatay

      HRRG BLEAH…

  69. Just4Kixx

    All the feels

  70. Niles Calder

    I am dead. This has killed me with joy.

  71. L!ghtn!ng

    Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!!!!

  72. Blergh

    JDJDJSODFNDJSJW SO FUCKIN CUTE

  73. Rangifer

    Hats off to the alt-text and all its multi-referential glory.

  74. DaveM

    Oh my, this is so sweet!

    Someting horrible is going to happen isn’t it. This much joy in the DOA universe must be crushed horribly. Mayhaps Blaine and Toedad appear and merge (in a totally Christian non homosexual and manly way [as they will point out at length if challenged]) into a giant unstoppable asshole?

    Damn you Willis clock set to 11:59. 🙂

    1. Willoughby Chase

      The Higher the Cute Rush, the Deeper the Fall …

    2. Emperor Norton II

      Something may not happen immediately to Dina and Becky.

      BUT, Willis did put up the “Dina’s Hat” storyline megapost on Tumblr. That means he’s ready to cut off into another storyline.

      And while it might only have the normal amount of drama and unhappiness and misery in it (as per the DoA universe standards), the contrast to this story will make it hit us all the harder in the guts. In fact, it might very well feel like Willis will be doing Kano’s original finishing move.

      1. Adept Arcanist

        Nah, Dina and Becky are safe. Mike and Walky are just gonna get hit with something absolutely horrible instead. 😛

  75. Li

    This strip. This sequence of strips. Ugh, I’m so happy about them. c:

  76. DSL

    She’s Dina’s Security Becky?

  77. Pat Myers

    *Reads the alt text*

    DAVID.

  78. Jenny Islander

    Girlfriends who don’t think you’re a weirdo because you need to stim are the best girlfriends.

  79. Reltzik

    PERVERSE SNUGGLING LUST!

  80. BriGuy

    This made me forget about Trump for 6.4 seconds. That was such a massive feeling of relief, even for a short time. Thank you, Willis.

    1. Cerberus

      That’s a damn impressive feat!

  81. Cerberus

    Comic Reactions:

    Panel 1: I love Dina’s little downplay here, because she knows how much it means to Becky, because she spelled it out and she’s been freaking out about it every day, but at the same point, she wants to emphasize that making an intimate request is not something to be scared of and assume will end in ruin (remember that before Dina, every attempt at an intimate moment for Becky ended in a moment of intense fear and pain).

    It’s a nice reassurance that no, it’s okay to ask for intimacies, that it can be casual and that if it is requested directly with no chicanery, there’s a good chance it will happen so long as that culture of good consent continues to be in place.

    Panel 2: And I love this one, because of course it wasn’t actually erotic. It wasn’t actually the fetish Becky assumed it would be. She’s not ejaculating or secreting or having an orgasm off of this.

    Because what the act really is, is intimate. It’s an act of trust freely given and an allowance rarely seen by folks and that’s more romantically powerful than erotic for Becky. And that matters. That romantic act of intimacy is something she wants and desires as much as she wants her bits to lubricate and orgasm.

    And that look of caring and happiness is beautiful to see, because yeah, that’s what it looks like when you’ve received a great intimacy and are feeling a rush of romantic emotionally satisfied feelings.

    1. Bagge

      Yup. This is a great display of mutual affection, trust and care.

      I’m honestly not so sure of Becky not secretly orgasming right now… Not because of the head, but – as you note – because of the trust. This is the furthest base Becky ever came to without being hunted with a gun or driven out on the streets. She is ALLOWED to have an intimate moment with Dina. No one is stopping them. And that is wonderful

  82. Cerberus

    Panel 3: I love… I love love, that this whole strip is a beautiful time capsule of it, and I love that Dina states a boundary and a request. That the hat is actually something very important for her, it helps her feel grounded from anxiety, which is why this moment of intimacy is so powerful because it is so rare.

    Panel 4-5: Which is what makes Becky’s response so beautiful and perfect. It’s a request for a further intimacy, BUT…

    This time with more implied directness as to that request and with her learning from her previous fuckups with consent today. And the offer is acceptable and satisfactory to Dina, the cozy happy cuddle smiles on both their faces demonstrate that well enough.

    But despite my love of adorable doofuses being cuddly and cute together, I almost love the previous panel more, because there’s a strange implication in it that I view as so critical. That if this didn’t work out for Dina, Becky would have backed off immediately and Dina could put her hat back on without any hurt feelings.

    That Becky made this request in response to Dina’s statement of pressure, showing that she is very actively listening to her right now and would have been more than willing to just have basked in her gf showing her her scalp if that had been the end of it.

    Once again, Becky has emerged from fucking up on consent issues stronger on consent in very very important ways.

    Also, I love how they are “holding hands” with both sides of the hat, because Becky knows that Dina still needs to hold on to her hat to truly feel safe and so she can quickly doff it back on if need be.

    1. Emperor Norton II

      Something else to note is that this latest request in panel is worded less nervously than the one in the previous strip. I still think of it as a request, “I’d like to try something,” is a sentence that still allows for Dina to say no, but it’s from a place where Becky’s now beyond the initial nervousness, and have already learned something about what Dina is willing to accommodate at this point.

      And that is proper consent development. As one gets to know one’s partner, one does not necessarily straight up ask about every detail. All it takes is to somehow imply that saying no is perfectly OK. As the relationship goes on, the implications may be less visible to outsiders, but clear as day to the couple in question. Which is as it should be, of course.

      And by the way, I don’t consider the “lady syrup” comment to be a request in this context. That was more Becky panicking about losing Dina and deciding to just go into full honesty mode because she knows that that is the only thing Dina understands fully. Yesterday, -that- was the first real request.

      1. Emperor Norton II

        In panel 4, that is.

        Sheesh, Norton, when are you going to hire an imperial editor for your posts? And just look at those run-on sentences you made. Have you ever heard of using a period?

    2. Bagge

      Becky has learnt, and this time she did it right. And just as it was important that her sitcom-shenanigans was not rewarded, it is wonderful that she is rewarded when she is honest and direct, just as Dina wants it.

      Dina could just as well have said no, and that would not have been less of a reward, because even by doing that she would have reinforced that, yes, Becky is allowed to ask.

  83. Willoughby Chase

    Shiny!

  84. jonathan

    RE Panel 4: AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!

  85. chris73

    Ok so its all very nice for Dina and Becky and I’m glad for them and it makes a nice little interlude but I think its time for a karmic realignment in the form of more drama

    Preferably between Joe and Joyce as that’s my favourite pairing, possibly because they’re two of the most “real” characters to me

    1. chris73

      Hmm real probably isn’t the right word…relatable might be a better word

    2. rectilinearpropagation

      I would also like to see more of what’s going on there.

    3. Adept Arcanist

      I like those two, but I’m pretty sure that for a true karmic realignment we need Mike and Walky’s room to blow up.

  86. motorfirebox

    Cuteness rising to toxic levels! Can’t stop going “eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee” long enough to inhale! *gasp, choke*

  87. Scar Man!!!

    Who else here has that hat that they feel naked without? Mine’s my favorite black newsboy cap where I display a rotating part of my pin collection. it’s also nice to have something to take off when you’re feeling too hot that’s socially acceptable, since my first reaction is usually to push up my shirt and that is not acceptable.

  88. Scar Man!!!

    though I will admit that sometimes I’ll go without it to get the confidence boost of “I am naked in public and no one knows” without actually removing any non-accessories

  89. Guairdean

    I dated a girl that made me feel that way. Fortunately, we both said Yes. Two daughters, and two grandsons later, she still makes me feel that way.

    1. Bagge

      Awwwwwww

    2. rectilinearpropagation

      OMG ?

    3. Emperor Norton

      DOOOOOFUS!

  90. Paul1963

    These two are so goddamn cute together. I want them to be this happy forever, knowing full well that drama requires conflict, and so Toedad can’t be the only roadblock they face.
    But they are so goddamn cute together.

    1. Scar Man!!!

      well, she’s still semi-homeless and trying to get a job with no college education. Plus the surrounding area seems to be not very LGBT-friendly. so, drama inevitable

  91. Tenn

    “Just acceptable?”
    “Well… your arm is not a hat. It does not envelop my head like a hat would.”
    “Eheh, sorry. This was the best I could do.”
    “It is good enough for me.”

    That day, in a perfectly normal office building in Denver, Colorado, there was a sudden explosion, the cause of which is still a complete mystery.

    1. BBCC

      YOU KEEP THAT LINE AWAY FROM THOSE TWO YOU HEAR ME

  92. nlips

    daawwwwwwwww!

  93. ClamantesDaemonium

    I needed this today

  94. achallenger

    aaaand i got diabetus

  95. Volkai

    *reads the alt-text*
    DAMN YOU WILLIS!

  96. Hisham Al-Beik

    Am I the only one who read the Alt-Text in his voice?

  97. nagzilla

    Dang it. I don’t usually feel like commenting, but this strip gave me all the feels. Like, tearing up at work feels. Damn you, Willis!

  98. Roborat

    NEWSFLASH! Reports are flooding in from around the world, about people dropping dead in front of their computers and smart phones. Symptoms are a goofy smile on their face and heart failure attributed to spontaneous onset of severe diabetes. Initial commentators are dubbing this the adorkable disease”. When asked for comment, Wilford Brimley responded: “Get off my lawn, dammit”.

  99. SuperGrover

    CUTE! They’re just so frelling CUTE! SQUEE!!

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